Clinical and Microbial Evaluation of Dental Caries Among Myanmar Schoolchildren

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to investigate dental caries status on primary teeth, and to evaluate the cariogenic bacteria in dental plaque and saliva among Myanmar schoolchildren.
Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological study consisted of 264 schoolchildren (5-6 years) who were from three primary schools of Yangon city in 2019. A clinical oral examination and caries risk tests such as Dentocult® SM plaque (DentSM-P), Dentocult® SM saliva (DentSM-S) and Cariostat® (Cario) were conducted.
Results: Overall caries prevalence of primary teeth was 84.1% with mean dmft of 5.84 ± 4.57. The mean debris score for all children was 1.53 ± 0.39. The mean caries risk test scores were 0.92 ± 0.42 in DentSM-P, 1.29 ± 0.85 in DentSM-S, and 1.23 ± 0.56 in Cario. The The DentSM-P, DentSM-S and Cario by debris score 1; 2; and 3 were 0.50 ± 0.31, 0.38 ± 0.51 and 0.69 ± 0.48; 0.92 ± 0.41, 1.32 ± 0.83 and 1.24 ± 0.54; and 1.08 ± 0.44, 1.45 ± 0.89 and 1.34 ± 0.58, respectively. The debris scores were significantly related with all caries risk test scores (p=0.005 in DentSM-P, p=0.009 in DentSM-S and p=0.018 in Cario). Children with higher caries experience had significantly higher caries risk test scores than those with lower caries experience (p<0.001).
Conclusions: A serious burden of dental caries on primary teeth was found among Myanmar schoolchildren. Effective preventive measures such as use of fluoride and behavioral changes should be promptly implemented.